National reaction: Detroit Tigers were own worst enemies in ALCS

Oct. 20, 2013

The leftfield scoreboard indicates a grand slam by Boston Red Sox hitter Shane Victorino as Detroit Tigers leftfielder Don Kelly (32) walks to his position in the seventh inning during Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Boston. / Associated Press

Written by

Posted by James Jahnke

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

The leftfield scoreboard indicates a grand slam by Boston Red Sox hitter Shane Victorino as Detroit Tigers leftfielder Don Kelly (32) walks to his position in the seventh inning during Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Boston. / Associated Press

More

ADVERTISEMENT

Here’s a sampling of what’s being said by baseball writers around the country day, after the Detroit Tigers lost to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.

■
Jerry Crasnick, espn.com: “Stabilizing the bullpen needs to be the main item on general manager Dave Dombrowski's agenda. The Tigers entered spring training with uncertainty in the ’pen, and it proved to be their undoing at the end. Bruce Rondon wasn't ready to embrace the closer role, and the Tigers briefly resurrected Jose Valverde before realizing that he wasn't the answer, either. (Joaquin) Benoit saved the bullpen with 24 saves and a 2.01 ERA. But he's 36 years old and had never been a closer before this season. It remains to be seen if the Tigers think he's the answer. The postgame reactions in the Detroit clubhouse ran the gamut from stoic to pained to philosophical.”

■
Associated Press: “Max Scherzer dressed silently after his strong outing, the latest by a Tigers starter. Jose Veras did the same in an adjacent locker after his blunder, the latest by a Tigers reliever. No words necessary. Justin Verlander would not get a chance to produce another gem in Game 7.”

■
Jon Heyman, cbssports.com: “The Fielder Flop may soon hit the baseball lexicon, whether you're talking about Prince Fielder's pseudo slide toward third base or his anemic postseason hitting. ... But this series isn't all on Fielder. Not by a long shot. There were plenty of precincts that contributed little or no help. There was no help from many of the other Tigers hitters. None from several of their other baserunners either (neither team had many but there were a few). Not much from the fielders (lower-case f), either. None, too, from a maligned bullpen that leaves even more maligned, the victim of two grand slams that stole an otherwise even series and sent the Red Sox to the World Series for the third time in a decade, against their old rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.”

(Page 2 of 2)

■
Ken Rosenthal, foxsports.com: “We’re getting the two best teams (in the World Series). The teams that play the game the most crisply and efficiently. The teams that excel in payroll management, roster construction and player development above all others. ... The Sox won because their bullpen was far superior, allowing one earned run in 21 innings, or six fewer than the Tigers’ ’pen allowed in 12 2/3 innings. The Sox also won because they played better defense, ran the bases better, did everything else better, really. ... For once, the Series will be a meeting of the most deserving postseason qualifiers rather than the culmination of a crapshoot.”

■
Richard Justice, mlb.com: “This was another close game, another tense game, a magnificent evening of theater. The Tigers, hoping to force a Game 7 on Sunday night, led by a run in the seventh. But they were again undone by everything from relief pitching and baserunning to an offense that went silent.”

■
Matthew Pouliot, hardballtalk.nbcsports.com: “Not all of this is on (Jim) Leyland. Things could have worked out fine had some non-(Drew) Smyly relievers made better pitches. It’s just that Smyly seemed like the best bet to make those better pitches. It’s easy to imagine the Tigers overreacting to their ALCS loss and signing a big-name closer this winter after passing on Rafael Soriano last winter. Trading Rick Porcello for late-inning relief help and moving Smyly to the rotation might also be a consideration. Benoit is a free agent, and if he’s back, it’ll probably be as a setup man. Ideally, Bruce Rondon would have been ready to close, but after his late-season elbow woes, he can’t be counted on in the role just yet. As is, I can’t help but think the Tigers will import one closer from the group of Grant Balfour, Joe Nathan and Brian Wilson this winter.”

■
Steve Gardner, usatoday.com: “A season that began with expectations of returning to the World Series ended prematurely for the Detroit Tigers. The freshest wounds are from the missed opportunities that came Saturday night in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. ... When rookie Jose Iglesias swung through the final pitch from Boston closer Koji Uehara, the Tigers were left to ponder where things went wrong.”